A Law Career, From Court to Court: Brittany Cheney

Brittany Cheney’s law career began on the Pacific Union
College basketball court. “To do well in law, you have to be competitive,” says
the ‘07 alumna. “It’s the same thing with basketball."

Brittany graduated at the top of her UC Davis School of Law
Class of 2012, and was awarded the Law School Medal for academic achievement.
After a successful internship with Downey Brand, the largest law firm in
Sacramento, Calif., she was hired as an associate attorney in Downey’s family
law practice.

While at PUC, Brittany was a member of PUC’s Lady Pioneers.
The team’s games and practices taught her athletic skills…and persistence. Even
when the team didn’t win a game, says Brittany, “we didn’t quit.” As a summa
cum laude graduate of PUC, Brittany was also dedicated to her studies as an international
communication major with an emphasis in Spanish and a business minor. Brittany also
managed a complex fundraising campaign in the college’s Alumni and Advancement
Office, raising $25,000—above the drive’s original goal.

After graduating, Brittany worked for two years in
fundraising, advertising and other positions before deciding to attend
University of California, Davis. The academic break gave her work experience
that helped prevent burnout during law school. “Two years was long enough to
want to go back to school. I was ready to give it three more years,” says
Brittany.

Her basketball skills travelled with her to UC Davis, where
playing the sport helped her remain balanced. The lessons she learned on the
court still applied to her life as a law student. “Law school was really hard, and
I didn’t always feel like I was doing well…but I’d been through tough things
before, and felt I like wanted to keep going,” remembers Brittany.

During her first summer in law school she worked in the
legal research department of Sacramento Superior Court. And before her third
year, Brittany was also going to court. With the Family Protection and Legal
Assistance Clinic, which gives legal aid to low-income domestic violence
victims, Brittany represented actual clients in family law proceedings. She was
one of only a few law students who spoke Spanish, thanks to time in Spain with
Adventist Colleges Abroad, and put her bilingual skills to use. “The
interesting miscommunications gave [clients and I] something to laugh about,”
Brittany remembers.

Taking Sabbath off gave Brittany the rest she needed to
succeed during the other six days of the week. Dedicated to her three-year law
student career, she was surprised to find that she would graduate at the top of
her class. In her commencement address to an audience of over 1,400, Brittany
encouraged her peers not to “forget where you came from, or who helped you get
to where you are in life, and don't forget to acknowledge their contributions."
She added, "It will keep you humble and grateful for your
life."

Brittany credits her PUC English 101 classes from Dr.
Marilyn Glaim for Brittany’s great start in college. Learning excellent writing
skills prepared her to be a lawyer, before she began to seriously consider law
as a career. “To be competitive in law, you have to be good writer. You have to
be succinct, and get your point across quickly, or you lose your reader,” she points
out.

Upper-division classes from journalism professor Lynne Thew
were also “incredibly important,” adds Brittany. She practiced paying attention
to details, because others would, too. “Be accurate in your grammar and
spelling, the things people gloss over and don’t pay attention to. Work hard
not to have mistakes in writing, so that you can be taken seriously,” says
Brittany.

Now Brittany tells students interested in law, “You’re not
just going to earn a degree; you’re going to enter a profession.” A law degree
“gives you a boost into all sorts of jobs,” and is also a significant
responsibility and investment of time and finances. Brittany suggests that
students “get as much as experience as possible with research and writing;
they’re the two most important things” for a law degree.

In a high rise-building overlooking Sacramento’s Capitol,
Brittany is writing at a new professional level. She’s bringing her PUC Pioneer
persistence to a different court — but putting the same Covered Wagon spirit to
work as Downey Brand's newest associate attorney.